


The Middle

by ClaireFisher



Category: Psych (TV 2006)
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Season 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:33:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23901631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClaireFisher/pseuds/ClaireFisher
Summary: Shawn had lived the extremes, from a simple and careless life to a dangerous, facing death constantly one. It was time to live in the middle, and he hoped that Jules wanted to live there with him.
Relationships: Juliet O'Hara/Shawn Spencer
Comments: 6
Kudos: 13





	The Middle

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, I'm back with another story.
> 
> This was based on a music I'm very fond of and which entitles this fic, The Middle by Gavin James. If you feel like give it a try, the melody is so captivating and I love the deepness of the lyrics. I hope I made justice to both song and this lovely couple. 
> 
> This was set somewhere between season 2 and 3 but non-related to any aired episodes.
> 
> Hope you enjoy and please, leave a comment. I'll love to hear your opinion, suggestion, or anything else you feel like.
> 
> I also must say I love writing song based fanfictions, so you'll see me posting a lot of those here. :)

**Hold me close**

**And don't ever let me go**

**In your heart I found a home**

**Somewhere I've never been before**

Shawn watched as Juliet sobbed quietly at the corner of her couch. It was past 1 A.M. and presumably, he would be fast asleep in his bed, dreaming with whatever random images his subconscious had captured during the day. Instead, there was he, standing at her door, peeking inside through the front window, watching her curl into herself as if she was trying to occupy the smallest space possible. 

He passed his hand through his hair, breathing deep before taking another step. If he crossed that door, more, that line, he would be forced to deal with what was breaking Juliet into pieces, and although he would trade her sadness for the purest happiness without thinking twice, once he made himself available he would never be able to bail out. 

But was Juliet, his Jules, and there was no other person he cared more about than her. 

He knocked a few times, observing her posture straight up, her confused face approaching the window to see who could possibly be at that hour of the night. Pushing the curtain aside she saw the nervous figure of that known man who brought butterflies to her stomach whenever she set her eyes on him. 

He gave her a shy smile, listening to the door’s lock click before it opened revealing the figure of the woman Shawn knew he loved more than anyone. Her puffy red eyes, glistening under the light of the lampost, the blue in them cristal clear, shining with such deep emotions, he felt his breath get caught at his throat. 

Her quizzical look questioning him before Shawn could even say a word. But he didn't have to speak. His eyes, his posture, and the simple fact of being there, standing at her door were enough for Juliet to break in front of him, the thick tears back into her eyes as she stepped further into Shawn’s embrace, allowing him to hold her close, wishing for him to never let go, afraid that if he did all the fear she was running away from would finally catch her.

Shawn rubbed her back gently, small circles, in an attempt to soothe her deep sobs as she clung to his shirt with urgency, letting all the panic flow out of her body, her tears damping the spot just above his heart. They stayed there a few moments before Shawn managed to move them inside, closing the door behind him and walking with Jules in his arms towards the couch. 

He would ask her if she wanted to talk about it but her trembling body and rapid breathing were strong indicators that she wasn’t ready yet, so he waited. Patiently, Shawn observed her calm down, one tear at a time, wishing that he could vanish with all the pain she was feeling, to protect her from everyone and everything so she would never feel that way again. 

Although Shawn had crossed almost the entire west coast on his bike when he first ran away, visiting the most curious and strange places, and even when he returned to Santa Barbara, he never felt like he belonged. It was in her heart that he had found a true home, a place he has never been before, a safe shore to the turbulent waters of his life. 

**No one knows**

**Just where they wanna go**

**Live your life in growing old**

**Simple songs and same old stories**

**But we could start a fire**

**We could start a fire**

Finally, her crying calmed, the tears ceased and Juliet could raise her head enough to look at the worried eyes of that man she loved in secret from longer than even herself could tell. That infuriating sweet man who had been more than a friend to her for the past two years and at the same time the one she pushed away frequently despite all his efforts to get close to her. 

She was lost. Everyone around her seemed to know what they wanted, had all figured out. All her college friends were either married, ready to grow old together with their beloved husbands, or engaged with a big wedding on their schedule. The ones who decided to hold onto the bachelorette’s life kept living their achieved dreams, replaying the known songs and old stories of their parents or relatives, following the path they started tracing at college and collecting the fruits of that simple life they had chosen. 

Juliet, on the other hand, lived an unplanned life, choosing a career more dangerous than any of her friends had, that for sure fulfilled her dreams but also turned her into a more cautious person, more reserved, remodeling her lifestyle to a way too distant from the girls she once went to school with. 

And while they had to deal with simple matters of life, such as planning weddings or family arrangements, which Juliet knew they required sacrifices and had its issues, she had to deal with death, with loss, pain, and fear. 

For sure she was good at processing all that, thickening her heart over the course of the years and not letting those horrible experiences affect her that far but when it was too much, too overwhelming and the burden too heavy to carry Juliet would start pondering the reasons why she decided for that life. 

She longed at the bluish-green eyes of Shawn, staring at her with a worry verging despair, almost as if he wanted to touch her heart and take all the pain from it. An involuntary smile appeared at her lips, as she realized that, after Shawn, and particularly that night, she wasn’t alone anymore, having someone who finally understood what she was going through without her having to provide context or expose emotions she didn’t want to. 

With him it was simple, he got her. 

The gentleness in his look and the care of his touch were fire, turning her into the same flame he was made of. 

**I feel you in my bones, oh oh oh oh**

**From my head down to my toes, oh oh oh oh**

**And I know it's a long way down**

**While we're caught in between**

**Won't you stay in the middle with me?**

Shawn ran his hands through her arms, still concerned by the shivering emanating from her body but glad that the tears had ceased. Her lips in a small smile, her blue eyes sparkling at him, a million things to say but they remained silent. 

He felt his heart race, jumping a few beats as her presence caused him to lose his mind completely if he allowed to. Juliet was printed in his bones, her sweet scent and lasting smile, her annoyed looks at his childish self and astonished face each time he solved an impossible case. 

She was embedded in every thought crossing Shawn’s mind, the motivation behind his actions and dreams. From head to toe, he was completely taken by her, head over heels in love with her. 

And although he knew it was a long way down, knowing that deciding to love Juliet would mean changing some of his behaviors, to mature and understand that his life would be lived to make her happy, to cherish her every day, Shawn was willing to give up all his selfish ways to be with her. 

He had lived the extremes, from a simple and careless life to a dangerous, facing death constantly one. It was time to live in the middle, and he hoped that Jules wanted to live there with him. 

**I will keep you warm**

**When the years make you feel cold**

**I will follow where you go**

**I'll be there when you're lonely**

**I know it's strange**

**Living life in different ways**

**I swear, I'd give you all my days if I could**

The furious wind started to hit the window, whistling through the crevice of the door. Shawn tightening his embrace around Jules, making sure to keep her warm, knowing how much cold she could feel. The odds of growing up in a tropical state he guessed. 

Juliet took a deep breath, eyes closed as she was trying to organize her thoughts, her mind lastly free from the panic. Shawn watched her struggle with her words and with an encouraging smile he spoke first.

“Hey, do you wanna talk about it?”

“Shawn…”

“Jules, I...I can’t imagine what you’re feeling right now. You’re the one leading the case and I know how much you beat yourself up when things don’t go the way you expected but, it’s not your fault Jules.”

“But it is Shawn. I should be more careful. I should have Claire at my six all the time.”

“Jules, how could you know Hanks was hiding behind that wall? No one saw it coming. Not even Lassie realized he was there.”

“Still, I should have.”

“Don’t...don’t do this to you. I said it, it wasn’t your fault.”

“Shawn, that little girl died. She died because I wasn’t fast enough, because I failed at my job. She died because of me.” 

The tears returned to her eyes, but along with them, a rage Juliet wasn’t expecting. The mourn turned into anger and she, once again, found herself lost in her own confused emotions, replying for the hundredth time the words of Claire’s mother when Juliet reported her daughter died despite all the efforts to rescue her. 

Her shivers returned and Juliet saw Shawn pull her closer to him. She wanted to resist, to face the mess she caused, to be strong enough to deal with all that alone, but she couldn't. 

“Shawn, why are you here?”

Her more serious tone caught Shawn’s attention as he observed her frustrated attempt at putting her walls up again. He stared at her for a second or two, choosing carefully his words to show her he was being sincere, honest in all his feelings.

“Because I didn’t want you to be alone. You shouldn’t face this on your own. I’m here for you.” 

And was that look in her eyes, that deep submergence that made Shawn sure he would follow her whenever she decided to go. All his days were hers and he would always be there for her, no matter what. 

**Can we rush in?**

**I know there's no way the lights go out**

**When you're so far under my skin**

**I'll breathe you in**

Her recent attitude dissolved into her vulnerable self again, and Juliet left the weight of his words, the unspoken promise behind it resound in her mind until it found its way to her heart, reminding her once again why she had fallen in love with Shawn in the first place. 

Tired of battling with herself, of crying, she left her head fall back on his chest, breathing him in, his scent impregnating her bones, him far under her skin. 

**Because the thought of ever losing you**

**Would surely turn my life to blue**

Shawn watched Jules close her eyes again, this time more relaxed. A defeated sigh escaped her lips and he knew that she had given up on reasoning anything. She was exhausted, the four-hour stakeout and the other five more between processing the crime scene and writing her statement down, drenched all her energy and all the crying she had after didn't help her case. 

Relieved, he brought his fingers to her hair, caressing it gently, reassured that she was safe and sound inside his arms. An icy chill ran down Shawn’s spine and he tried to shake off the remembrance of that day’s previous events that ventured back his mind as a vivid image. 

While Juliet was too consumed by the traumatic death of that little girl she wasn’t aware that Shawn was dealing with the fear and panic of almost losing her. The detective didn’t realize that she almost got killed when she tried to stop the kidnapper from firing a death shot at Lassie. If Shawn hadn’t pushed her, the bullet would have gone straight through her head. 

That afternoon Shawn almost lost Juliet and, if the previous cases and life-threatening situations didn’t open his eyes, now he could see clearly. He almost lost the love of his life and Shawn knew that he couldn’t live in a world where Juliet wasn’t in. Just the thought of losing her was enough to keep him awake at night. Almost seeing it turn into a concrete fact scared his very core. 

He could’ve lost her without even saying how he truly felt.

**I feel you in my bones, oh oh oh oh**

**From my head down to my toes, oh oh oh oh**

**And I know it's a long way down**

**While we're caught in between**

**Won't you stay in the middle with me?**

“Shawn?”

He was brought back to reality by Juliet’s voice, her face turned at him.

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

He smiled, aware of the deep meanings those simple words carried. 

“Anytime.”

To his delight, her lips curved up in a soft smile again, bringing hope to his preoccupied heart.

Without the sound of her sobs and the wind outside, the house fell into a dead silence. Shawn’s heart raced as he observed the intensity in her eyes grow, her movement to free herself from his embrace enough so she could sit facing him. 

Juliet raised her arms, passing it around Shawn’s neck as she got closer to him, her face inches away from his, staring at his confused look. Her lips brushed against his lightly, in an almost kiss, so filled with uncertainty and sureness at the same time that suddenly it was too much to take. Instead, Juliet rested her forehead against his, closing her eyes and breathing him in. She could feel his touch, his hand on her cheek, caressing her skin gently with his thumb. 

Despite the urge to have her lips against his, Shawn was satisfied enough with the guarantee that Juliet was there, that her feelings for him were mutual, even though she never verbalized it. 

Separating from him, she planted a kiss on his cheek, watching his eyes open into a surprised stare. Grinning, Juliet returned to her previous position, pulling Shawn’s arm around her again, finding comfort in his warm embrace that vanished with all the trouble of her heart. 

He was the balance she needed, the one she knew she could count on, the man she had fallen head over heels for, and that she wanted in her life forever. 

Tomorrow they would have time to deal with their feelings, perhaps even to turn that almost into a proper kiss, but tonight all Juliet wanted was to stay there, with Shawn at her side, reminding her that she didn’t want a simple life nor the dangerous reckless one she had back at Miami. No, she wanted that life in the middle only Shawn could offer and live with her. 

  
  



End file.
